Ron DeSantis, the Republican Trump Wants to Be Florida’s Governor

The Florida governor’s race is shaping up to be a ferocious showdown after Tuesday night’s primary victories by Representative Ron DeSantis, the Republican endorsed by President Trump, and Mayor Andrew Gillum of Tallahassee, a progressive Democrat endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

He is an ardent Trump supporter

Mr. DeSantis has been a regular on Fox News, often praising Mr. Trump. (In an article published on July 30, The Times counted at least 41 prime-time appearances by Mr. DeSantis since Inauguration Day.)

That endorsement almost certainly proved decisive. Adam Putnam, the state agricultural commissioner Mr. DeSantis was running against, was once leading in the polls, fund-raising and local endorsements.

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Supporters at Mr. DeSantis’s election night party in Orlando on Tuesday.CreditCassi Alexandra for The New York Times

But by late July, Mr. DeSantis was way ahead in the polls, illustrating the clout Mr. Trump now holds in the party. Mr. Trump’s intervention had worried party activists and officials alike who had fretted that Mr. DeSantis’s close ties to the White House could be a liability in a general election.

A decorated Navy veteran

It is not just Mr. DeSantis’s vocal support that has endeared him to Mr. Trump. The president also admires his Ivy League degrees and military service, according to White House officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose private discussions.

His campaign website bills him as “a native Floridian with blue-collar roots” who worked his way through Yale and went on to graduate from Harvard Law School. He served as an adviser to Navy SEALs in Iraq and as a lawyer for the Navy at Guantánamo Bay. He earned a Bronze Star and the Iraq campaign medal for his service.

He has also served as a federal and military prosecutor. First elected to Congress in 2012, he represents Florida’s Sixth Congressional District, which includes Daytona Beach.

Among his signature issues in Washington are tax cuts, the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, and moving the United States Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. In an interview last month, Mr. DeSantis declined to name a single issue on which he disagreed with Mr. Trump.

His family stars in a campaign ad

The congressman is married to Casey DeSantis, a longtime Florida television host, and the couple has two children. In a video advertisement set to a jaunty tune, Ms. DeSantis calls him “an amazing dad.”

“Ron loves playing with the kids,” she says, before the ad cuts to a clip of Mr. DeSantis teaching his older child to “build the wall” with blocks. He also reads Mr. Trump’s book “The Art of the Deal” to their infant, and later coos “big league” to the baby, who is dressed in a Make America Great Again onesie.